Hispalensis Conventvs Delineatio

From Ortelius' magnificent atlas, the "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum", this is an early and attractive map of Andalusia. The atlas in which this map was published achieved instant fame as "the world's first regularly produced atlas" (Skelton), being the first atlas with maps prepared to a uniform format. It was also an immediate commercial success, being reprinted four times in 1570. The atlas was frequently reprinted up to 1612, with many of the maps re-engraved and up-dated, and new maps added so
that later editions contained up to 163 map sheets. The maps themselves are finely engraved, often very decorative, and are generally found with text on the reverse - Spanish on this example.